Shonette Harrison Named Winner of Cornell's Outstanding Alumni Award

First winner for Cornell's master of management in hospitality program

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. October 14, 2008

OCTOBER 5, 2008. Shonette S. Harrison has been selected winner of the first-ever Outstanding Alumnus Award presented by Cornell University's master of management in hospitality (MMH) program. A 2001 graduate of the program, Harrison now works as vice president of casino marketing at Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack in Pennsylvania.

'Shonette embodies the attributes that Cornell's MMH program seeks to instill in its graduates,' said Michael Johnson, dean of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. 'She is an ideal choice to be the first recipient of this award, and we look forward to honoring her at our annual MMH networking reception in New York City.'

The award committee evaluated candidates on a range of criteria, including academic performance and school involvement as a student, career progression since graduation, and continued engagement with the School and its students, alumni, and faculty after graduation.

In her current role, Harrison leads the Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack sales force and oversees its VIP strategy and VIP service experience. The property features over 2,800 of the newest slot and video poker machines, nine restaurants and bars, and one of the fastest 5/8-mile harness tracks in North America. Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack is the first venture into the new Pennsylvania slot market by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., the world's largest gaming company.

Harrison first joined Harrah's in the summer of 2000 as a president's associate in Harrah's MBA executive internship program. After earning her MMH degree in 2001 she returned to Harrah's, where she has held various leadership positions, including hotel director, director of customer service, and director of marketing in various U.S. locations.

Harrison has remained active in many ways with both the Hotel School and the university at large. She was a member of the advisory group that recommended condensing the then two-year MMH program into its accelerated 12-month format. Harrison has spoken in the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series and has lectured in a class on information technology. She also chaired the 2006 reunion committee for the Cornell Black Alumni Association's 30th anniversary and chaired the Cornell Club of Nebraska's programming committee in 2005-06.

About The Center for Hospitality Research

A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 73 corporate affiliates, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. The center also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (formerly the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly). To learn more about center and its projects, visit www.chr.cornell.edu.